Michael Cox
Tonight's Happy Valley meeting is one of the final opportunities for rivals of seven-time champion Zac Purton to take advantage of his injury-enforced absence.
Purton's return is imminent: he has been passed fit to ride in trackwork and trials from tomorrow and has said that if a ride in this Sunday's BMW Hong Kong Derby became available he would take it.
"If there happens to be a hiccup or something between now and the race, I'm an option," Purton told The Standard. "I'll swoop in at the 11th hour and get the glory."
When Purton broke his toe in a fall at the 44th meeting of the season he had won more than one in five of all races run so far in the campaign.
In the more than five weeks Purton has spent on the sidelines since, competition has been fierce among his rivals.
Leading the way has been fellow Australian jockey Brenton Avdulla, who has replaced Purton on a number of horses and has ridden 14 winners from the 10 meetings since February 9.
"Things are going well and the opportunities obviously help," Avdulla said. "We'll just try and make a bit of hay while the sun shines."
Avdulla has rocketed from 10th in the jockeys' championship to third, six of his 14 winners coming for one of Purton's primary supporters, John Size.
Size has surged to the top of the trainers' championship during the last month. He was ranked fourth heading into the meeting on February 9 but has won 16 from the 10 meetings since to kick four clear at the top of the standings.
Hugh Bowman has also done well with his main rival away, riding 10 winners during the stretch to hang on to second place in the championship.
Bowman and Avdulla both have rides for Size tonight but the trainer has spread the support broadly during his hot streak and he has again tonight.
Andrea Atzeni (10 wins from 10 meetings) and Alexis Badel (nine) are also beneficiaries of Size's support during the period but Harry Bentley has found success despite no support from the top trainer.
Bentley has ridden five winners since February 9 and two of them were horses Purton had been on previously, Romantic Son for David Hayes and Serangoon for Tony Cruz.
"Everybody has been trying to capitalize and although there was more of a knock-on effect for me than how direct it has been for those other guys, I am pleased with how things have been going," Bentley said.
Bentley heads to Happy Valley with a strong book of five rides tonight including Flying Fortress (R7 No 11) for trainer Cody Mo Wai-kit.
michael.cox@singtaonewscorp.com
